The Harsh Light of Day
by Michelle Kay
Summary: The gentle swell of the ocean brought our bodies closer. His lips were only centimeters away from my own; the feeling was intoxicating. Our lips met… Our bodies met. His cold skin brushed against mine in the midst of the warm Atlantic waters...
1. Into The Night

Title: The Harsh Light of Day (Tentative Title)

Author: Michelle Kay

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I respect the work of Stephenie Meyer and no copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: The gentle swell of the ocean brought our bodies closer. His lips were only centimeters away from my own; the feeling was intoxicating. Our lips met… Our bodies met. His cold skin brushed against mine in the midst of the warm Atlantic waters. He wrapped around me apprehensively, pulling my body closer to his.

***

"I promised we would _try_," He whispered, suddenly tense. "If… if I do something wrong, if I hurt you, you must tell me at once."

I nodded solemnly, keeping my eyes on his. I took another step through the waves and leaned my head against his chest.

"Don't be afraid," I murmured. "We belong together."

I was abruptly overwhelmed by the truth of my own words. This moment was so perfect, so right, there was no way to doubt it.

His arms wrapped around me, holding my against him, summer and winter. It felt like every nerve ending in my body was a live wire.

"Forever," He agreed, and then pulled us gently into deeper water.

***

We tread water, there, for what seemed like an eternity. The moon shone down on Edward's pale skin, and it was beautiful. I could hardly contain myself. My eyes wondered. The gentle swell of the ocean brought our bodies closer. His lips were only centimeters away from my own; the feeling was intoxicating. Our lips met… Our bodies met. His cold skin brushed against mine in the midst of the warm Atlantic waters. He wrapped around me apprehensively, pulling my body closer to his.

"Bella," Edward whispered, his eyes pleading. His face was torn, and it pulled at my heart. "I can't hurt you… I don't know what I'd do…" He glanced away from me, instantly making me self-conscious. This is what I'd been waiting for, what I'd been hoping for, pleading for… But I couldn't do this to him. It wouldn't be what I needed it to be if he was only worrying. Not enjoying.

"Edward, we can wait. I want you to be here… with me…" I hesitated before shooting him a quick glance, trying my best to be convincing.

"I am here with you, Bella. I want to do this for you. I am true to my word." He looked down at the water flowing between us. I lifted my arm out of the water, brushing the hair out of his lovely face. Oh, the look he gave me. I could see it, the love, written across his striking features. I kissed him, and I thought I might cry. The feel was so wonderful, so awesome. Awesome, in the true sense of the word… _Inspiring an overwhelming feeling of reverence or admiration, produced by that which is grand, sublime, or extremely powerful. _I rambled off the meaning in my head. His hands found his way into my damp hair, his lips meandered from mine, making a trail down the nape of my neck.

"_Edward_…" I mumbled, almost incoherently; I'm certain. He pulled back. Did I dare open my eyes? What if he honestly wasn't ready? This would be his first time as well. I dared, but before I knew it he had scooped me into his cold arms, and we were on the beach. I was suddenly aware that our bodies were exposed. I could feel his toned chest against my side, his hands touching my bare skin. His eyes bore into my own. It was as if our souls were connected.

We breezed through the open doors, and into the beautiful bedroom that had been awaiting us. He laid me, lovingly, on the white bedding. The lights seemed bright to me. Harsh. As if he _could_ read my mind, he went to switch off the light. I watched him as he walked to the light switch. In this moment of freedom, I studied his body. His muscles flexed, subtlety, creating a tingly sensation that washed through my body, and to my core. He turned, now bathed in candlelight. My eyes flickered south.

Edward made his way over to me, and motioned for me to scoot over. I obliged, willingly. He lay down beside me, intertwining his legs with my own. I was acutely aware of what was pressed against my thigh as his lips found mine. We shared a passionate kiss as our bodies molded together. I took a deep breath and I tore my lips away. Somewhere, in the midst of our kiss, he had found his place above me. His weight hardly shifted, but his hand lifted from beside me, finding _its_ place on my breast. His fingers traced lightly across my warm skin, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Goosebumps had now spread across most of my exposed body.

"_Oh…"_ Edward said, a cool breath escaping his lips. His brow furrowed.

"It's okay." I assured him. I couldn't bear for him to not continue. He seemed to relax. I took this moment to let my own hands explore a little. They brushed along his back, finding their home at the small of it. He cupped my breast, and lowered his head. He kissed the warm skin of my chest, leaving a trail of kisses across my bust. I captured his lips with mine, urging him to move forward. He slid back up, letting a little more of his weight rest on me. His body settled between my legs. This was it. I closed my eyes, and heard him take a deep, unnecessary, breath before slipping inside of me. The feeling made me gasp, quite audibly. Edward looked at me worriedly. He had hit my barrier. I nodded very delicately. Edwards' hands grasped the sheets under me, gripping them tightly. I felt him advance. Slowly. Suddenly, the barrier was no more. He filled me completely. I opened my eyes, only to have his search them for some kind of confirmation that he had not hurt me. I smiled.

"Oh_, God…" _Edward moaned, as he began to thrust harder. The pain was almost non-existent at this point. His expression of lust set me on fire. I wrapped my legs around him, and felt him slip deeper inside my center. His eyes opened suddenly, and he let out a breath. I moaned his name as we passionately explored each others bodies. His body was rock hard, but seemed softened in this moment. He was still resting on one hand. The other had found its' way beneath me, and was holding my torso up slightly. I assumed, for better access. He lowered his head and left a trail of kisses from my stomach to the nape of my neck. His thrusts became more urgent, and a low growl emitted from deep within his chest. His lips rested there, at my neck, for a moment; I could feel his cool breath and he knew that I trusted him completely. His lips opened slightly and his teeth grazed across my delicate skin. So sharp, so deadly. He grabbed my arms, pinning them at my sides. I wasn't scared, not for a second. He was barely hurting me. The pleasure coursing through me would be blocking out any pain I might be experiencing anyway.

"_Bella_," Edward moaned. His lips continued their trip, and found their way to my mouth. His tongue swept across my lower lip seductively. I parted my lips slightly, granting him access. His cool, sweet tongue invaded my mouth hungrily as he continued to thrust into me. I could feel the pressure inside of me building. My hands found themselves in his wildly disheveled hair. I grasped and pulled at it and Edward lifted my torso even higher off of the bed. I could feel low growls rumbling inside of his chest. I closed my eyes and the feeling climbed even higher. I let out a big breath I hadn't realized I was holding. The feeling climbed higher. I moaned again.

"Open your eyes." Edward moaned. I did, and the moment our eyes locked I felt a magnificent release. My body shook and I arched my back as he spilled himself inside of me. He collapsed beside me on the bed as I took in this new, wonderful feeling. I turned to face him. Edward. My husband. The word no longer left a bad taste in my mouth. I smiled at him as he leaned in to give me a lingering, romantic kiss. He broke this kiss, and rested his forehead against mine. I suddenly found that we were beneath the covers, a sheet between us. I still felt his body pressed against my own as he guided me to turn and face the opposite direction. I nestled myself against him, and quickly found myself falling asleep as we spooned together. The beautiful night slipped into the darkness as my eyes fluttered shut.

**A/N: I am debating on whether or not to continue this as a full-length story. This is the tentative 'prologue', and I have an idea as to where this story will go if I decide to pursue it. Comments are appreciated. Thank you. - Michelle Kay**


	2. The Morning After

Title: The Harsh Light of Day

Author: Michelle Kay

Disclaimer: I respect the work of Stephenie Meyer and no copyright infringement is intended.

Rating: M

Summary: The gentle swell of the ocean brought our bodies closer. His lips were only centimeters away from my own; the feeling was intoxicating. Our lips met… Our bodies met. His cold skin brushed against mine in the midst of the warm Atlantic waters…

***

PREVIOUSLY:

"I nestled myself against him, and quickly found myself falling asleep as we spooned together. The beautiful night slipped into the darkness as my eyes fluttered shut."

***

The sun beams shone through the open French doors and into the bedroom where Edward and I lay. It was a beautiful morning, and the white sandy beach sparkled in the sun as gloriously as the man resting beside me. I had awoken to find myself facing him, and the memories from the night before flooded my mind. I could feel my heart start to flutter at the thoughts.

"Good morning, my Bella." Edward's voice sung to my ears. His arms wrapped around me, sending a chill though my body. It was a nice contrast to the heat of the sun bearing down on us.

"Morning…" I mumbled. I couldn't tell what time it was, but it had to be early. More memories of the night before found their way into my thoughts.

_ He kissed the warm skin of my chest, leaving a trail of kisses across my bust. I captured his lips with mine, urging him to move forward. He slid back up, letting a little more of his weight rest on me. His body settled between my legs. This was it. I closed my eyes, and heard him take a deep, unnecessary, breath before slipping inside of me._

Lost in my thoughts, I had not noticed the concerned expression that was etched across Edward's features. I propped myself up on my elbow to get a better look at his face. He did not seem to notice my incessant stare as I studied him.

"Edward…" I whispered, wondering what he was thinking. Had I done something wrong? He didn't speak. Instead, his fingers traced a light trail from my cheek and down to the nape of my neck. He paused for a moment, before proceeding to stroke a tender spot just above my shoulder. I flinched back, grimacing. His eyes looked away, and his hands were no longer touching me. He slid off of the bed, and disappeared into the white kitchen. I stood to follow, and suddenly realized an urgency to take a detour to the bathroom. I walked lightly across the plush white carpet, a sense of confusion encompassing me. A large whirlpool bathtub was the centerpiece of the spectacular room. I turned to face the full-length mirror on the back of the door, and gasped at my own reflection. A large, red scratch stood out on the base of my neck. My hand reached up to touch it, examine it. It had a slight sparkle to it, like the crescent shaped scar on my hand. My mind focused on the moments of the previous evening.

_ His lips rested there, at my neck, for a moment; I could feel his cool breath and he knew that I trusted him completely. His lips opened slightly and his teeth grazed across my delicate skin. So sharp, so deadly. He grabbed my arms, pinning them at my sides._

I examined the rest of my body, finding a fair few bruises. I would have been happy, even if there had been more damage. I just had the most amazing night, and I would not ruin it by dwelling on a couple of bruises and a little scratch.

"Edward!" I called out, frantically. I suddenly forgot why I had been standing in the bathroom in the first place. I rushed to the kitchen to find him sitting on the counter, his head in his hands. I paused before making my way over to his gravely still form. I reached out to touch his arm, indicating that I wanted to see his face. He obeyed, and let his hands fall to his lap.

"Look at me." I pleaded. He did, but his eyes focused on the small cut that had seemed to ruin my perfect morning. "Edward, it's nothing… I don't blame you! Come back to bed…" My voice was shaky and trailed off.

"I should have never agreed to this, Bella. Look at yourself! It was selfish of me to let this happen." His teeth barely parted as he spoke. He was angry with himself, but I was fine!

"Okay, Bella. I'll let this go for now. For you." Edward sighed deeply, and slid down off of the counter top. I smiled and embraced him in a forceful hug. His arms hugged back, timidly, but it was enough. I laughed.

"What's funny?" He asked quietly. I just grinned, and pulled him back into the bedroom. Of course, he wanted to be pulled, otherwise we wouldn't be moving. I was impressed with myself, anyhow, and continued to urge him to sit down on the fluffy white bed that had witnessed so much the previous evening.

"Bella," He pleaded. "We can't…" I ignored his words and escaped to the bathroom to attend to my throbbing bladder. Oh, how ladylike. When I returned, I found him lying completely flat, staring into the netting hung above the bed. I took this opportunity to slip on the t-shirt laying near the door.

_ He walked past me to the French door that opened right onto the beach sand. On the way, he shrugged out of his shirt, dropping it on the floor, and then slipped through the door into the moonlit night. _**(Breaking Dawn, p. 81)**

I grinned and tried my best to gracefully make my way back to the bed. He must have gotten dressed while I was in the bathroom, because he was wearing a pair of long khaki shorts and a plain white tee. It was adorable. He must have noticed my smirk, because he responding my mouthing 'Alice.' in a very annoyed sort of way.

***

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed without incident. I had eaten breakfast, and Edward seemed to, momentarily, forgiven himself for whatever crime he thought he had committed the night before.

"So, you…" I trailed off. We were walking to the beach, the sun high above our heads and glittering dazzlingly off of Edward's skin.

"What?" He asked casually. I wasn't sure how to ask him if he had enjoyed himself. Just come out and say it?

"You… enjoyed yourself, right? I mean, it's not like I knew what I was doing…" I trailed off, embarrassed. He snorted. "Are you laughing at me?" I asked, suddenly sparked.

"No… It's just… It was my first time, too, Bella. I wouldn't know if you had done something wrong, anyway. Though I'm sure you didn't. It was… amazing. I assure you." He giggled to himself. It was an interesting sound – Edward… giggling.

"Oh, right." I smiled. Edward grabbed my hand, intertwining his long fingers with mine.

"I love you, Bella." He said, almost as if it was a passing thought, spoken aloud for no apparent reason.

"I love _you_." I said, squeezing his hand lightly as we stepped into the warm water. I couldn't believe what was happening. This moment, this day was so perfect. Nothing could ruin it. Or so I thought.

**A/N: Okay, so I've decided to continue this story. I know it's not clear exactly what path it's taking at this point, but the next chapter should lay it out for you. I needed to get the off of the island – they're going home soon! Thanks for the reviews. (Oh, and longer chapters in the future!) – Michelle Kay**


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